Chicago Blackhawks player $5 million expiring cap makes him vulnerable for a trade…..

It seems obvious that the rebuilding Blackhawks may not need to keep a veteran like Johnson on the payroll. His $5 million expiring cap hit makes him vulnerable for a trade. So, if the Hawks were to move him, where might he go?

• New York Islanders – The Isles only currently have $569,637 in cap space to work a deal. That means they would need to move some cap space to fit Johnson into the lineup. He could provide some much-needed offense that the club lacks at this point. Johnson could assist the Islanders’ power play and be a veteran leader on the team. The other factor with adding Johnson is he has playoff experience and success with 35 goals and 65 assists.
• Tampa Bay Lightning – The Lightning know Johnson well as he played for them for nine years, adding 161 goals and 200 assists in 589 games. The Bolts middle six could use some additional firepower that Johnson could provide. Of course, with the Lightning’s cap restrictions, the Hawks would need to retain some salary to make it happen. Tampa Bay has $17.15 million tied up in long-term injured reserve, but when the injured (including Andrei Vasilevskiy) return, they will need to create some cap room.

 

 

 

 

 

Blackhawks: Connor Bedard’s home debut was a successful failure

The Chicago Blackhawks are a team that could be in the mix for the lottery again but they are far more exciting than they were a year ago. That is because of Connor Bedard who was the number one overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Hawks were even worse in 2022-23 but they can still be terrible again in 2023-24. As long as Bedard and the other kids play well across the organization, this will be a successful year. Their home opener was exactly how things should go on most nights.

Hosting the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Hawks were finally home after five straight games on the road. They went 2-3-0 in those games which isn’t terrible at all. They play hard and are building a great culture.

Their home opener was a successful failure in every single way. The building was sold out, the hype was real, and everybody finally got to see Connor Bedard playing on their home ice in Chicago. There are clearly some exciting times ahead.

The Chicago Blackhawks had a great showing in the first home game of 2023-24.

The good news is that Bedard took no time to score his first home goal. 90 seconds into the game, he took a sweet pass from Taylor Hall that came from hard work down low right in the slot. When he received the pass, he used his insane wrist shot to blow it past Adin Hill for a 1-0 lead.

Chicago went crazy to see Bedard get that goal so quickly into the game. It was an incredible way for him to get started in that building. The hope is that was the first of many.

Eventually, the Vegas Golden Knights tied it and took the lead. They ended up winning the game by a final score of 5-3. Connor Bedard scored, looked great, and the team still lost. That is more or less what fans should be hoping for this year.

Getting another top-five pick in the draft would really help the rebuild along even more. Can you imagine if they won one of the two lottery again? The top two picks in the 2024 Draft are going to be amazing. That is better than being the 24th-best team in the league or something like that.

Hopefully, there will be more good losses this season for the Hawks. Keep improving that draft stock all season long while Connor Bedard dominates anyway. Their next game will also be at home when they take on the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.